All That and a Pineapple Smoothie
by Sparky Dorian
Summary: ...or, 25 Days of Christmas, and one to grow on. It's December, and Shawn seems to have something going on. Gus isn't really sure what it is at this point. Juliet isn't sure she wants to know. And Carlton? Well, he just wishes Shawn would leave him alone.
1. Amplify

_A/N: So, I'll be updating this once daily until December 25th, when there will be two. Each chapter is one letter of the alphabet, and each chapter is one day's events. I hope you enjoy!_

_December 1st, 2010 _

"Gus!" Shawn stood at his friend's door, knocking several times. "Gus! C'mon man, open up!" There was no response. Shawn hopped back and forth between his legs, breath fogging out in front of him.

"Gu-us! I'm freezing out here," Shawn called imploringly. Again he was met with silence. Shawn wondered if Gus had finally gone through with his continguing threat of buying earplugs and a white noise machine. Shawn knocked one more time, then let his head fall against the door with a _thunk._

"Fine, if you want to play it that way, get ready to lose like a fat kid playing dodgeball," he said, his eyes lighting up as he had an idea.

Shawn stepped away from the door, rubbing his hands together and deciding that he probably should've heeded that little voice in his head that had told him to wear a coat. With a squint, he realized that it sounded sort of like his dad, mom, Gus, and his elementary-school principal all rolled into one. Weird.

Hopping on his motorcycle, his hands shook as he turned the key. He drove along the still-dark road; it was only four o'clock in the morning. Ordinarily, he would probably still be asleep at this time. Or watching an occasional rebroadcast _of I Love Lucy_. But today was an exception. Today was important.

It took two cups of hot chocolate and thirty minutes, but Shawn finally found what he was searching for. With a mischeivous grin, he tucked it under the seat of his motorcycle and pulled on a coat. He bounded back to Gus's door and held up the bullhorn.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" He called, his voice echoing through the street. He heard a crash from inside and chuckled. "One more time," he muttered.

"This is Tyra McGurglehopper calling for a Bruton Gaster," he said through the door, once again using the bullhorn. "Come on out, Bruton!"

The door opened and the bullhorn was snatched from his grasp by a wild-eyed, rumpled-looking Gus.

"What is wrong with you, Shawn? Someone's gonna call the cops on you!" He yanked the Psychic inside.

Shawn nodded. "You know, you really shouldn't have such noisy visitors. Maybe if you actually answered your door..."

"Shush, Shawn," Gus snapped, rolling his neck and sighing. "What do you want?"

"Don't you know what day it is?" Shawn asked, head tilting to one side.

"It's not day, it's night," said Gus, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, it's almost five now," countered Shawn with an innocent smile. "And that is definitely morning. But _anyway_." The psychic gave his friend a pointed look.

"Tell me what day it is, Shawn," Gus said flatly.

Shawn grinned. "It's December first!"

Gus groaned. "Shawn, you woke me up at four in the morning to tell me the months had changed?"

"Almost five," corrected Shawn lightly. "And it's not just _any_ month. It's the start of the twenty-five days of Christmas, and I have a plan!"

"A plan?" Gus sounded mildly apprehensive. Shawn preferred to call it _interested_.

"Yes," said Shawn with an excited sparkle to his eyes. "And we've got to start right away."

"We can start when the _sun_ is up," Gus said. "And give me back my bullhorn, I don't know why you have it anyway." He snatched it away.

"Alright, Gussyface. Get your sleep, I'll see you at 0800 hours."

Gus let out a sigh of relief as Shawn left. A moment later, the psychic poked his head back in.

"What time is 0800 hours, again?" He asked, an innocent expression.

"Not that again. Just go, Shawn!"

Shawn smiled slightly to himself as he left, looking up at the sky. This was going to be fun.


	2. Bulky

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)_

_ December 2nd, 2010_

Gus walked into the Psych office, holding a pineapple smoothie in one hand and a hot chocolate in the other. The hot chocolate, he was currently drinking. He set the pineapple smoothie on the nearest surface and shouted. "Shawn! I have your smoothie!" He shook his head, muttering to himself, "Though why you want it when it's freezing outside is beyond me."

There was no answer from anywhere in the office, and Gus frowned. He stepped further inside, calling out again. "Shawn?" No answer. He reached the central area of the room, his eyes drawn to a large, bulky package on the ground. It was clearly marked _Do Not Open. (Gus, that means you.)_ Gus rolled his eyes, walking around it once curiously. He looked around, still seeing no sign of Shawn, and bent down, extending one hand.

"Gus!" Shawn cried. Gus jumped, dropping his hot chocolate onto the carpet.

"Shawn!" Gus shot the man a glare. "I just barely got this carpet cleaned!" About a week previously, Shawn had somehow thought it was a good idea to carry two glasses of cherry soda in the same hand. It hadn't been a good idea.

Shawn was defensive. "You were going to open the package!" He said accusingly. "It explicitly informs you to _Not_ Open It."

"You can't just leave things lying around with that stuff on them an expect me to not be curious," Gus protested. He saw the two plastic cups in Shawn's hands, the man alternately drinking from each one.

"Why do you have two smoothies, Shawn?" He asked.

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I told you I was going out to get one, so I did, then I came back in and there was another on the counter." Gus rolled his eyes. "By the way, buddy, lookin' sharp today. Is that an _alligator_ on your tie?"

Gus put one hand over the tie self-consciously. "Maybe. It was a gift."

"From who?" Shawn snorted. "Whoever they are, man, they're holding a grudge about something."

"Whatever, Shawn," Gus said, shaking his head. "But don't change the subject. What's in the package?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," the Psychic said in a sing-song voice, setting his smoothies on the desk and scooping up the package. It was obviously heavy, as he strained to move it to the closet. He closed the door and turned back to Gus.

"No. Touching." Shawn's look was reproving. "I"ll know if you do, Gus. Now look me in the eye and tell me you won't touch it."

"I won't," Gus said.

"That's my shoulder, Gus, not my eye," Shawn said. Gus glared at Shawn, directly in the eye.

"I will not touch the package, Shawn, that you should not have left out in the open."

"Thanks, buddy," Shawn said, instantly cheerful. He blinked at the carpet. "Wait... Was that hot chocolate? That sounds really good right now..."

"Shawn, you have two pineapple smoothies. Drink those."

"Oh. Right." Shawn grinned. "I will."

Gus let out a bemused sigh, shaking his head. "I'll call the carpet cleaner. Again."

"You're the best!" Shawn declared, sipping his smoothies one at a time.

"Yeah, yeah."

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	3. Cards

_A/N: Hey, if you're enjoying these, I'd love reviews. :) I will keep posting regardless, of course, but the feedback helps me improve and be encouraged! I was feeling odd today, so this chapter is odd. Oh, and I forgot, thanks to my buddy Spockologist for the prompt words!_

___December 3rd, 2010_  


Gus entered his best friend's apartment to find him sitting at the table, scribbling on various pieces of paper. Gus jumped when Shawn turned.

"Shawn, why are you eleven again?" He asked.

Shawn frowned. "Whaddya mean, Gus? You're eleven, too," he informed him. Gus looked down at his hands and his eyebrows shot up.

"This cannot be happening," he said.

"It's fine, Gus," Shawn said in a serene voice that didn't sound at all like him. Especially eleven-year-old. "Just come make Christmas cards with me."

"But Christmas is still twenty-two days away," Gus protested.

"You can never prepare too early for Christmas," said Shawn sagely. Gus slowly inched over, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"If you say so," he said cautiously. He picked up one of the crayon fragments and started to color on a piece of paper he'd folded into quarters. Frustratingly, his handwriting seemed to have reverted to that of his eleven-year-old self as well. All loopy, sloppy cursive. Merry Christmas, he scrawled.

"Is that good enough?" He asked Shawn, who was contentedly covered in broken crayons that seemed to stick to him like magnets.

"No," Shawn said, shaking his head. The crayons that were in his hair swayed. Gus blinked.

"O-kaay," he said. He tried to put down the red crayon he was holding, but it refused to leave his hand. Slowly, the other crayons on the table began to inch toward him, followed by pieces of paper. Gus recoiled as they began to crawl up his arms and stick to his skin, but he was frozen to his seat.

"Shawn!" He cried. "Wh-what's happening!"

"It's all part of the Christmas magic, Gus," Shawn's voice said in an ethereal tone. Shawn had now become completely covered in crayons. Not even his eyes could be seen. Gus let out a strangled yelp and fell out of the chair.

"Hey, buddy," Shawn's voice echoed through his dream. "You alright?" Gus sat up from where he'd fallen off the armchair, shuddering and brushing his clothes and arms off.

He looked up at his friend, heaving a sigh of relief when he saw that Shawn was himself.

"Yeah," he said, standing up shakily. "I'm fine."

Shawn nodded slowly. "Good." He brightened from where he was sitting at his desk. "Want to help me make Christmas cards? I have crayons."

"No!" Gus declared in a panicked voice, quickly leaving the room. "Keep your crayons away from me, Shawn!"

Shawn continued to write heartfelt, Christmasy messages as Gus left the room, shaking his head.

"Now where's his Christmas spirit, Mr. Bear?" He asked the white teddy bear who was sitting on the windowsill, wearing a red-and-green scarf. "I know, I know. I'm disappointed in him too."

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	4. Duel

_A/N: Meh, it's a little late in the day, but today was rather crazy-like. I saw two movies in theatre. I mean theater. We'll use the american spellings... Anyway. WAY too much time spent in front of a movie screen in a dark theatre. I think it's driven me a bit wonky. And now I feel both incredibly giddy/slightly twitterpated from the first movie, and depressed and paranoid from the second. Anyway. You don't care, do you? You just want your story. So here it is. :)_

_December 4th, 2010_

Shawn lifted up another paper bag of groceries, relieved that it seemed to be lighter than the last one had been. He looked at the truck bed, which was still nearly half full after several loads of carrying. "I can't believe I let my dad rope me into doing this," Shawn complained to his friend.

"I can't believe I let you rope _me_ into this, Shawn," Gus replied, giving the Psychic an exasperated look. "I have things to do-"

"No you don't, man," Shawn said, shaking his head. "I know you finished your route early, don't try to pretend you didn't."

"H-Have you been following me again, Shawn?" Gus demanded.

"Maybe," Shawn replied offhandedly, giving a small smirk. "Or maybe I'm just-"

"I know you're not really a psychic," Gus reminded him.

"Oh. Right." Shawn dropped his bag of groceries onto the porch and let out a sigh. "I can't do this anymore, I just can't."

"The counter is like ten feet away," Gus said.

"More like twenty-one," Shawn said, leaning his head back against the post dramatically. "Or seventy. It might as well be a mile."

Gus deposited his bag on the counter for Henry to put away, then returned to find Shawn missing, along with one of the long french baguettes from the grocery sack.

"Shawn?" Gus called. "Your dad wants you to hurry up."

"En garde!" Shawn loudly declared, appearing around the corner and brandishing the baguette like a sword.

"I'm not doing this with you right now," Gus said, crossing his arms.

"C'mon," Shawn said, his voice taking on a whiny tone. A glint appeared in his eyes. "Are you too chicken? Hm?"

"I am not chicken, Shawn," Gus said.

Shawn began to make chicken noises.

"What, are you five now?" Gus asked. "I said no."

"Aw, Gus," Shawn pleaded, dropping the sword and looking disheartened.

Gus quickly grabbed the other baguette and, with a grin, clashed it against Shawn's. Shawn's face lit up and he parried the blow. The pseudo-sword fight went on for several minutes, until they were left with a pile of breadcrumbs spread across the porch and small stumps of bread.

"Victory!" Shawn crowed as Gus's bread crumbled from his hand.

Gus frowned at him. "You-"

"What the heck do you two think you're doing?" An incredibly ticked off voice came from behind them.

"Uh-"

"We-"

Shawn and Gus stood, holding the incriminating breadcrumbs.

"We were dueling," Shawn offered, shrugging.

"Well, your little duel is over," Henry said, his expression flat. "I want you to finish putting away the groceries, clean up this mess, then go buy me more bread. Now."

"But Dad-"

"Now, Shawn, if you want my help."

Shawn instantly nodded. "Fine," he said. Henry stalked back inside and Gus gave shawn a puzzled look.

"Is this really that important?" He asked, picking up a back of groceries and stepping over a pile of crumbs.

"Indeed, Gus," Shawn said, with a seriousness that was only partially real. "It's very, very important."

Gus continued to help Shawn out with the mess, just hoping that his friend would soon make the big reveal.

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	5. Eggnog

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_December 5th, 2010_

Carlton Lassiter heaved himself out of his Crown Victoria, looking at the sun peeking up above the horizon. He made his way into the station, scowling slightly when he saw little hints of Christmas decorations spread around the rooms. O'Hara smiled brightly at him as he walked in.

"Good morning, Carlton," she said, waving.

"O'Hara," he greeted, wishing he'd remembered to get some coffee on the way over. The stuff they had here was fine, but not quite as good. He took a seat at his desk and looked up, seeing a small Christmas tree on the desk across from him, and moved his computer monitor so that the offending decoration was blocked from his view.

It wasn't that Carlton had anything against Christmas, he just didn't like some of the elements of the holiday. The crowded shopping malls, the whining, snot-nosed children begging for more and more toys.

...the constant, biting reminder of what he no longer had. Some of it, he'd never had in the first place, but he'd always at least had people who sort of wanted him around on Christmas.

Not so this year. His ex-wife was completely over him, his mother grew more and more dissatisfied with him every day, it seemed, and his father was... well, his father.

His brooding thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Lassiter," he answered quickly.

"Lassie!" Shawn Spencer's irritatingly excited voice came through the line. "How are you today?"

"What do you need, Spencer?" Carlton asked. "I'm in the middle of something important, so don't waste my time."

"How can you be in the middle of something when you just got to the station?" Spencer asked innocently.

"How do you know I just got here?" Lassiter demanded.

"Psychic, remember?" Shawn's 2tone was slightly teasing.

"Why you-"

"Let us not argue over little details, Lassieface. I have one simple question for you, then you may hang up and do whatever you please."

"Get on with it, then," Carlton growled.

"How many people do you see around you?" Shawn's voice was slow and exaggeratedly clear.

Carlton frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean just what I said," Shawn replied. "Just... count them for me."

"Count them?" Carlton shook his head. Spencer was completely insane.

"Why would I ever do that for yo?" Lassiter asked him flatly.

"Please, Lassie," Shawn plead. "It'll be worth it, you'll see."

Carlton let out a frustrated breath. "Fine," he said. "Hang on."

He stood, quickly perusing the building and counting them all.

"Twenty-one," Carlton said said, then snapped the phone shut. He rolled his eyes, wondering what on earth Spencer could be up to at this hour. Sitting back down at his desk, Lassiter picked up a case file and began to read through it.

After a few pages worth of reading, he heard a commotion from the front.

"Thank you!" Several people were saying.

Carlton stood slowly, meeting Juliet's eyes and following her toward the crowd that had formed near the door.

"One per customer, folks!" Shawn's voice was declaring from the middle of the group. People crowded around him, then one by one left with an opaque cup in hand.

"Spencer!" Carlton barked. "Out here. Now."

Shawn and Gus's heads emerged from the people. "One moment, please," Shawn said. He handed out a few more cups and then strode out to meet Lassiter. He and Gus each had one more cup in each hand.

Gus handed one to Carlton and sipped the other. Lassiter took it warily.

"For you, Miss Juliet," Shawn said theatrically, presenting a cup to O'Hara.

"What is it?" Juliet asked curiously.

"Eggnog." Shawn grinned widely and drank a large gulp.

Juliet copied him, and smiled. "Mmm. That's good."

"C'mon, Lassie, try it," Shawn prompted.

Carlton rolled his eyes, sopping the liquid. It was good.

"Deliciously Christmasy, hm?" Shawn said, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

"Thanks, Shawn," Juliet said, her eyes softening as she looked at the Psychic.

Caltron made a small grunting noise and returned to his desk, but he took another drink of the eggnog and a small smile flitted across his face.

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	6. Fa la la la la

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_A/N: Okay, so by now I guess you get that each one is on one separate day, so I can stop posting the dates. Gak, it's nearly time for a new Psych and I still haven't watched the last one. *sighs* Hopefully I can find the time. Sorry this got out so late again, today was busy and I didn't write these beforehand this time. *shame* Meh, this chapter is okay, but not my favorite._  
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Christmas caroling is one of those things that can carry a lot of memories, both good and bad. Everybody sort of has their own take on things, their own opinions on the activity.

Gus's most distinct memory of caroling was when he was nine and his mom made him wear a hideous sweater out for caroling, because his nana had made it and it was somehow "warmer" than his others. Shawn, the true friend that he was, had spent a good ten minutes just laughing. Then he'd accidentally bumped into Gus and spilt his hot chocolate all over it. Gus had been torn between an exasperated gratitude and frustration. Hot chocolate tended to soak through more than one layer of clothing. Other than the burns and stains, though, that had been a pretty good time. Gus had certainly enjoyed it.

Almost all of Juliet's experiences with caroling had been pretty good. Her family had gone out almost every year, and the neighbors all grew to expect them. When she'd been in seventh grade, her father had injured himself and they had decided to stay in. Later that Christmas Eve, neighbors had come to sing to them instead of the other way around. It had been a nice reminder of the true spirit of Christmas.

Shawn's favorite caroling memories mostly involved playing elaborate pranks on people. The time involving some awful sweater that Gus had been forced to wear had been pretty fun, too. Deep down, though, he remembered one Christmas, before his mother and father had gotten divorced, that they'd all gone out. No one had been arguing then, and Shawn had though it was just about the most wonderful thing ever.

If you asked Carlton if he'd ever been caroling, he would've told you to shut up and get back to work, but not before firmly disillusioning you of the idea that he would participate in something as foolish as singing songs to strangers. There was one time on the back pages of his memory, though, when he'd gone out with his elementary school class. He could still feel the cold air if he closed his eyes, and the Christmas season had been one he'd enjoyed back then. But he'd never admit that to anyone, thank you very much.

Buzz thought caroling was a pretty nice thing to do, and he and Francie were definitely going to take their children, when they had some. He'd always enjoyed it as a child, and he thought it would be fun for them all to do together someday.

No matter who it is, though, or how they feel about caroling now, there's something magical about it still. The excitement of it all, and the sheer audacity of going from house to house regardless of who lives there, and just embracing the season, letting go, and singing.

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	7. Ghosts

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Shawn scampered into the police station, a wide grin on his face. He shook off the droplets of rain that had settled in his gel-spiked hair and made his way toward the desk of a certain blonde detective. He reached the desk and looked around, disappointed to see that she wasn't there. The computer was on, though, so she was around somewhere...

Encouraged, he sat down in her office chair and spun around a few times, looking around at the mostly deserted station. It was nearly ten o'clock, and the sky was dark. Juliet had just finished a major case, and she was working late to tie up the loose ends.

Shawn, of course, had decided to pay her a visit and brighten up a dull evening of work.

Plus it was a good opportunity to get some covert snooping-no, research-done.

Carefully, he opened her desk drawer and examined what she had inside. Chinese takeout menu, handcuffs, a few paint swatches, romance novel, empty ammo clip, lip gloss. Hm. Interesting, and very Juliet, but not all that helpful.

"Shawn?" Juliet's voice came from behind him suddenly, sounding puzzled.

"Jules!" Shawn shut the drawer quickly and spun around.

"What are you doing here?" She asked curiously. "And... were you in my desk?"

"I dropped my... contact lens," Shawn said quickly.

"You don't wear contacts," Juliet reminded him.

"I meant my, uh, limited edition panda bear sticker. But I found it, no worries, crisis averted." Shawn smiled at her and she quickly smiled back.

"Alright... Well, it's good to see you," she said, stepping over.

"Good to see you too," he said. "You look tired."

"I am," she admitted.

"Well, I think you should take a break. Here's an idea: Let's go silly string Lassie's desk. Wait, even better idea. We should go sit on the roof."

"I don't think we should try climbing onto the roof in the rain, Shawn," Jules said, an amused smile flitting across her lips.

"Silly string, then?" Shawn asked.

"Afraid not," Jules replied. "Lassiter's already in a bad mood."

Shawn let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, we'll leave the desk alone. For now."

Jules fiddled with the ends of her curled hair. "Good."

"Well, just... have a seat, then. We can chat for a while." Shawn pulled the office chair away from a nearby desk and patted it. Slowly, Jules sat down and crossed her legs. For a few minutes, they talked. There were several loud claps of thunder outside during the conversation, accompanied by bright flashes.

"Well-" Jules's sentence was broken off as the lights suddenly cut out. "What's going on?"

"I bet the lightning struck a power line," Shawn said unconcernedly. In the darkness, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I think it's fun."

"I suppose," Juliet laughed. She returned his kiss, placing hers on his lips. Shawn grinned as they broke apart.

"I just have one question for you," he said. At least, for now it was just one. Later... There would be another.

"Shoot."

"Do you believe in... ghosts?" He squeezed her knee where he knew she was ticklish and she jumped.

"Shawn!" She exclaimed. She swatted blindly at his hand and laughed. "Of course not."

"They don't like that answer," he said in a spooky voice. "You have angered the spirits."

"Well, tell the spirits that as long as they help you help _me_ with cases, we'll get along just fine."

Shawn squeezed his eyes shut and nodded. "Uh-huh. I'll tell her."

"What did the spirits have to say?" She asked amusedly.

"They have accepted your answer," he said in a low voice. "And, they think I should kiss you again."

"Well, if the _spirits_ say so..."

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	8. Hanukkah

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_A/N: Gak, I don't like trying to play catch-up. Note to self: Get ahead on these when possible. Just to clarify, this one is set today, with today being December 8th. Back on track tomorrow, we hope. Double gak, I'm now two episodes behind on Psych... Blah. Another thing to do... Anyway, enjoy!_

Gus came into the Psych office early in the morning, stepping over the scattered puddles of the previous night's rain. He found Shawn asleep in one of the armchairs, his head drooping back. He was fully dressed and there was a cereal bowl next to him, so Gus hoped he hadn't been there all night.

Slowly, Gus crept next to him and put his head level with the Psychic's.

"Shawn!" He barked. Shawn jumped and his hand flew out, narrowly avoiding thwacking Gus in the side of the face.

"Hey," the man protested feebly, yawning. "You're not my alarm clock."

"No, Shawn, I'm not," Gus said, shaking his head. "Get up, we have to go into the station."

"Really? Why?" Shawn moaned. Slowly, he stood and ran a hand through his mussed hair.

"Apparently somebody died during that power outage last night, Lassiter thinks it might have been murder."

Instantly Shawn perked up. "Okay, let's go."

Gus rolled his eyes. "Instant Enthusiasm," he said, "Just Add Murder."

"Cases are like candy to me, Gus," Shawn said, grabbing his jacket and waiting by the door.

"Somebody died," Gus said. "And you're happy?"

"Justice is like candy to me, too," Shawn elaborated. "Sweet, sugary justice."

"Hm." Gus got into the drivers' seat of his car and started it. "Oh. Happy Hanukkah by the way."

"Huh?" Shawn looked over at him.

"It's the second to last day of Hanukkah," Gus said slowly. "So I'm wishing you a happy one."

"Isn't Hanukkah a town in eastern West Virginia?" Shawn asked, raising his eyebrows.

"What?" Gus shook his head. "No, it's a holiday."

"I've heard it both ways," Shawn said, shrugging.

"Whatever, Shawn," Gus said, pulling into traffic.

There was silence for a moment.

"I think we're ready to move on in the plan," Shawn said, grinning.

Gus gave him a look. "I still don't know what the plan is," he reminded him.

"You will," Shawn said with a joking sageness. "In time."

Gus let out a sigh. "Alright. What's the next step in your mystery plan?"

"Well, I figure we work on the case for a while, stop for a Slushie, wrap the case up, grab some lunch, then head out the home furniture store." Shawn leaned back in his chair.

"Why?" Gus inquired.

"Let's just say I have some errands to run."

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	9. Igloo

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_A/N: Thanks to my anonymous reviewers! :) I appreciate your input, even though I can't reply to you in person. Also, for any of my Star Wars fanish reviewers, tomorrow is Wear and Share Star Wars Day! Now, we have to have at least one true little Shawn and Gus thing here. _  
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_December 1986_

Shawn Spencer let out a breath, watching it fog in the air. "Gus!" He called. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," his best friend replied through the open front door. "I'm just getting my coat."

"Well hurry up!" Shawn shouted, bouncing impatiently in the snow. Shawn and Gus, along with Gus's parents, were currently on vacation in northern Washington for a week. Shawn's mother was... away, and Henry was working, so the Gusters had agreed to bring him with them. And they'd been having a blast.

Tomorrow would be their last day, so Shawn had declared that they would have the best day ever today. He and Gus had started the day off right, with chocolate chip pancakes and pineapple smoothies. Many games had been played, and now, they had decided to build an igloo.

Mrs. Guster was notoriously overprotective of Gus, and so Shawn had quickly jetted out before he could be included in the pre-snow bundle up. Sure enough, Gus emerged a few minutes later clad in about half a department store's snow section. He waved to his mom, waddling toward Shawn.

"Come on, man," Shawn said, grabbing his friend's sleeve and dragging him away. "Let's get some of this off you."

"I d-don't want to get sick," Gus said, eyebrows creasing.

"You're not gonna get sick," Shawn told him, removing one of the two scarves his friend was wearing. "Now come on, let's get started."

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_December 9th, 2010_

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Shawn and Juliet were sitting on the couch in the Psych office, laughing as Shawn finished relating the tale of his and Gus's first igloo.

"It really collapsed on you?" She asked between laughs.

"Yeah," Shawn said, shaking his head exasperatedly. "We'd spent a good three hours inside it, then it all of a sudden just came down on us. Took us forever to get out of it. Gus wasn't even cold, he had so much snow stuff on."

"And you?" Jules asked slyly.

"Well... I escaped the house with only a coat in the first place, so I was... pretty much frozen," Shawn said.

"And he got a cold," Gus added from the next room. He walked in, carrying a package of chocolate chip cookies. He looked a little triumphant about that fact, Juliet thought.

"Well, at least I didn't look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow dude," Shawn retorted.

"No, you looked more like a wet muppet," Gus said. "The orange one."

"Gus, don't be a deteriorating supernova. My hair is most certainly not orange." Shawn rolled his eyes lightly.

"Just eat your cookie, Shawn," Gus said. Shawn inserted an entire cookie into his mouth in retaliation and Gus shook his head.

"So, Juliet, what are your plans for Christmas?" Gus asked nicely.

"I think I'm just going to be here," she said, shrugging. "I might visit my parents sometime next week, but I think I'll be in Santa Barbara for the actual holiday."

Shawn coughed a few times, swallowing. "That will be-" another cough, "perfect."

"And even by some freak of nature if it snows, Shawn," Juliet added teasingly, squeezing his hand. "I'm not letting you build me an igloo."

"Hey!" Shawn protested. Gus smirked at him and Shawn stuck out his tongue leaning against Juliet.

"Well, either way," Shawn said, a glint in his eyes. "I'm glad you'll be here for Christmas."


	10. Jingle

__

_December 10th, 2010_

Shawn Spencer reached into his wallet and looked both ways covertly, looking out for any passers-by (Especially anyone who A) Was related to him, or B) Worked with him and_ extra-especially_, C) happened to be Juliet). So far, so good. The man in the little top hat in front of him gave him a strange look and accepted the offered cash.

"You're sure, Mr. Spencer, that you want to make your reservation this early?" He asked.

Shawn looked behind him, eyes resting on the wheeled sleigh-like vehicle and jingle bells.

"Yep, pretty sure!" Shawn grinned. "Can't take any chances when it comes to the big reveal."

"Alright," the man said, shrugging. "Well, I'll pencil you in for December 25th at 6pm."

"Thanks, my man," Shawn said, patting the man's odd suit. The carriage-ish-thing-driver got into his ... vehicle and drove away.

"Shawn?" A voice came from behind him.

"_Crap_." Shawn winced, then turned around with a bright grin on his face. "Why, Juliet O'Hara, what are you doing here?"

"I was just getting a smoothie," Jules said, suddenly sounding a bit suspicious. "And you?" Thankfully the driver was well out of sight.

"Just soaking up the bright sunshine," Shawn said, gesturing to the sky.

"Uh-_huh." Jules laughed. "Whatever you say, Shawn," she said. She took his arm and handed him the smoothie she held in her left hand, sipping the one in her right._

_"Mm!" Shawn exclaimed. "Pineapple!"_

"I was hoping I'd find you on my way back," she said, nodding.

"Thank you very much," he said with a grin, kissing her forehead.

"You're very welcome."


	11. Kissing

_December 11th, 2010_

Juliet walked into the Psych office early in the morning, looking around to see both Shawn and Gus absent from the front area. She didn't call for them, though, choosing instead to simply look around at the things they'd decorated their space with. It was cluttered in an eclectic way, with everything from a pineapple stress ball to personalized pens from Gus's pharmaceutical business. She wandered over to Shawn's desk, looking down.

A small strip of film was sitting in the center of it, uncovered by anything else. They'd taken it the previous night after finishing their smoothies, going to a photo booth and sitting. On the last picture, Shawn had surprised her by quickly stealing a kiss in front of the camera. Then they'd just laughed for a while. It had been a light, carefree moment, as many of the kisses they'd shared had been.

There had been the first time when Shawn had used the excuse of "close talking."

Much later, after Shawn had told her he was on a date with Abigail... That moment had been slightly more wistful, even a little melancholy.

The next one she really remembered was when she and Declan had been about to leave for their vacation. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel how that been, warm and painfully brief. Shawn's expression had filled her with a conflict of feelings she hadn't felt in a while.

Then, more recently, there had been the confession on the dock, and _that_ particular kiss was very, very memorable.

Since that day, many small kisses had been exchanged between them as their relationship continued.

"Jules!" Shawn exclaimed. He came into the main area, followed by Gus.

"Hi, Shawn," she said, smiling. "Your phone fell out at my apartment, so I'm bringing it back."

Shawn took the phone and slipped it into his pocket. "I was wondering where that got to. I was beginning to think the mole people were taking revenge on me."

"There are no mole people Shawn," Gus said, rolling his eyes.

"Says you," Shawn said, sticking out his tongue. He eyed the wall behind them meaningfully and Gus let out an exasperated breath, averting his eyes.

Shawn leaned forward and kissed Juliet, grasping her hand with his.

After a moment, Gus tapped Shawn on the shoulder and they broke apart, both of them smiling.

One thing was for certain. Kissing Shawn Spencer was never the same twice.


	12. Lullaby

_A/N: Okay, I know exactly how behind I am, I promise. You really don't have to remind me. I'm going to try to get caught up this weekend, I promise! Also, I haven't seen the two Psych's from last night, but I'm caught up other than that. _

_December 12th, 2010_

It was late. Shawn had had a long, but fairly successful day. He and Gus had helped out with a case that was pretty simple, if he did say so himself. He'd also gotten to have lunch with Juliet as a side effect of this, which didn't bother him in the slightest.

There had been a few other things to do after that, most of them relating to_ the plan_, and it was only a few moments ago that Shawn had finally gotten home.

"Hmm." Shawn looked at his TV appraisingly. He knew there was a rebroadcast of _The Breakfast Club_ on tonight, one of the greatest movies ever. But hr was actually pretty tired, and just going straight to sleep sounded much nicer than staying io and aRching a movie, regardless of how excellent said movie a half-regretful sigh, Shawn quickly got ready for bed and climbed under his covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was immensely glad he'd decided to forgo the television show tonight.

The plan was on track and he was nearly ready to enlighten Gus on the full nature of what it entailed. Not his dad, though. Shawn didn't know how well Henry would keep this sort of a secret. From the radio that was lying under a pair of jeans, soft music emerged. The gentle rhythm of silent night enveloped him, sending him off to sleep with a peaceful lullaby.


	13. Mary

_December 13th, 2010_

Henry Spencer smiled slightly as he flipped a steak and stirred some vegetables quickly to keep them from burning on one side.

"You okay in there, Mary?" He called through the screen door.

"Yep," a voice answered brightly. Henry waited another moment for the steaks to finish and plopped them onto a dish, putting the vegetables into another.

"Those look delicious," said his date, smiling. "You're a much better cook than you let on."

"Wait until you've tried it to make _that_ declaration," Henry said, dishing her out some.

"I'm sure it's delicious," Mary insisted cheerfully. He had met her a few days previously at the supermarket and they'd decided to try having dinner. So far it had gone very well, and Henry liked her.

But, as he always did, Shawn showed up, and things suddenly became much less pleasant. he and Mary had finished eating and were talking over some nice wine, and Shawn came barging into his house with some proclamation about a new case that he wanted Henry to give him.

"Dad-" His son quickly broke off when he saw that Henry wasn't alone at his table. Henry saw that strange frozen look come into Shawn's eyes and he looked at Mary apologetically.

"Excuse me a moment," he said, standing and taking Shawn's arm. He led the would-be Psychic out of the dining area and crossed his arms. "Yes, Shawn?"

"You have another woman here?" Shawn regained his ability to form coherent sentences quickly.

"What do you mean, _another_?" Henry asked, frowning.

"I mean-" Shawn stopped himself, letting out a breath. "You know what? Never mind. Forget I said anything. Forget I even came by."

"Shawn, don't-" Henry tried to explain, but his son was already out the door. The man heaved a sigh, disappointed.

"Henry?"

He made an effort to sound cheerful as he returned. "Sorry about that, Mary."


	14. Noel

_December 14th, 2010_

It was very early when Shawn walked into the SPBD, giving Jules a small wave.

"What's wrong?" Juliet asked concernedly from where she was reading over some paperwork. Shawn seemed a little... off.

"I was going to ask my dad about getting us that case last night, but he had a _date_ over," Shawn said, spitting the word with a hint of disgust and a small waver in his voice that spoke volumes to Juliet.

"He's allowed to have people over, Shawn," she reminded her boyfriend gently. "Maybe he's just lonely."

Shawn shrugged, not able to deny the point, but not wanting to agree, either.

"He's coming into work today," she continued. "He can probably approve it then."

"Maybe." Shawn visibly shook off the gloomy thoughts and came to sit next to Juliet. "Enough about me. How are you this morning?"

"Pretty good," Juliet said, smiling. "I'm just waiting for Carlton so we can get started on the investigation."

"Lassie's _late_?" Shawn asked with mock-mortification.

"No," Juliet said, laughing, "I was just extra early."

"And I'm glad," Shawn said. "Or I wouldn't have gotten to see you without Lassie breathing down my neck."

Jules nodded. "It is a little less stressful," she agreed. "He's very... observant."

"Ehh," Shawn said, shrugging. "Sometimes."

There was a brief, contented silence, then Juliet looked up at Shawn. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something," she said, half-hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Shawn grinned. "I'm all ears. Well, not _literally_. I still have other appendages and such, but... Go ahead."

Jules twirled her hair around one finger, speaking quietly to avoid being overheard. "I was just wondering if you'd like to come with me to my nieces' church pageant tonight. It shouldn't be too long, and I hear they're singing The First Noel."

"I could never resist a good noel," Shawn said thoughtfully. He nodded. "'course I'll come. What time should I swing by your place?"

"Around five thirty would be good," Juliet said.

Shawn seemed to weigh this against something, then smiled. "That sounds perfect," he said. He glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, Lassie alert. See you later, Jules."

"Bye, Shawn," Jules replied. "Good luck."

"You, too." The Psychic ducked away and sneaked down the hallway with exaggerated movements. Juliet laughed quietly before Lassiter came up to her desk.

Only Shawn. 


	15. Obvious

_December 15th_

Shawn picked up his iPhone from the floor of the Psych office where he'd left it the previous night, making a mental note to be more careful where he put it in the future. Quickly, he dialed Gus's number and waited for the man to pick up.

"Hey buddy!" He exclaimed. "Yes, I know it's early... No, no, go ahead." He waited while his friend finished chewing his pancakes. A moment later, he continued, "Listen, amigo, we've got a lot to get done today. Well... it doesn't _totally_ have to do with the case. We can work on that, too, though. Here's the thing: I need you to come to the store with me."

Shawn picked up his pineapple stress ball and squeezed it in one hand. "Yes, it's about the plan. ...yes, I'm going to tell you today. I promise. Yes. Please? ...pretty please?"

He dropped the pineapple-shaped foam again and frowned. "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pre- oh, you'll come? Great! See you in half an hour!"

Shawn grinned. It was nice to know your best friend's buttons. Remembering something, he went into the back room and started to dig through piles of paper. He'd hidden his shopping list somewhere around here, if he recalled correctly. It wouldn't do to have somebody find it. Everybody he knew was far too smart for normal coding to work on, so he simply had to hide things. The shopping list ended up being underneath several menus for chinese takeout, which actually sounded really delicious despite the early hour.

Stowing the list in his pocket, Shawn went to the front of the room again and waited for Gus to show up.

"Ready to go?" He asked his friend immediately after Gus's arrival.

"Sure," Gus said resignedly, following Shawn back out to the blueberry.

"Thanks for coming, buddy," Shawn said cheerfully.

"You're welcome," Gus replied. "Just tell me what all of this has been about."

"Now?" Shawn asked innocently.

"Now."

"It'll ruin the surprise..."

"I don't care."

"But-"

"You promised, Shawn."

"Fine," Shawn said, sighing. He leaned over to Gus and whispered, even though there was nobody around to hear them. Gus's eyes widened in surprise and he gave Shawn an incredulous.

"You're serious?" He asked.

Shawn nodded, actually looking pretty serious.

Gus let out a low whistle, then grinned. "I don't know how I didn't guess, it's completely obvious."


	16. Pine

_December 16th_

Shawn let out a breath as he and Gus drove back to the crime scene, tailing Jules and Lassie and several other police cars. They pulled up at the ordinary-looking house and Shawn grinned at Gus. Time for the big reveal.

"Oh, by the way," Gus said, turning off the car, "I got the red ribbon you wanted."

Shawn nodded. "Great. Thanks, buddy."

They got out of the car and Shawn stood next to Lassie as they all looked down at the grass where their victim had originally been found.

"So, what did you bring us here for, Spencer?" The detective demanded.

Shawn shook his head, closing his eyes and putting his hands out. "The spirits... They called us here. All of us."

"Oh, here we go," Shawn heard Lassiter mutter.

"Don't anger the spirits Lassie," Shawn said in an eery voice. He pulled his hands suddenly to his temples. "I'm seeing an argument. Two men, fighting over..." He hunched his shoulders slightly.

"I'm getting... The Princess Diaries," Shawn said. "Wait, no, make that The Princess Diaries 2. Also, Captain Kirk."

There were no guesses from his audience.

"I'm also getting... Unstoppable?" Shawn said, hoping that would appeal more to them.

"Chris Pine," Juliet said. "He was in all those movies."

Shawn opened his eyes and put his hands back out in front of him. "Exactly. Pine. But pine what... Pine forest? PineSol? Pining dogs?"

"Pine tree?" Gus suggested. Shawn could just hear the tint of sarcasm in his friend's voice.

"You got it Gus! Way to go," Shawn said. "But what does a _pine_ _tree_ have to do with this?" He put one hand to his head for a moment. "Mm, no. Not getting any chatter."

"Wait a second," Lassiter said, "I know this. A porcelain christmas tree was found in the grass with blood on it, but it wasn't the murder weapon. Tests haven't come back yet on the blood."

"Whoa," Shawn exclaimed, shivering. "Major vibes there. The spirits are saying- what? No, no, that's ridiculous. Really? Wow."

Shawn looked up at the others. "Apparently that pine tree has been in the family for generations, and when our victim's mother died, it was supposed to go to the victim's brother. But they were fighting over it, it was one of the last things their mother had ever made. The fight got heated. The brother pushed him, he fell and hit his head on a rock..."

"That makes sense," Juliet said. "The brother called him about half an hour before the time of death. They must've fought on the phone then met in person."

"And, if you analyze the blood on that tree, you will find both the victim's and the brother's blood on it," Shawn concluded.

"McNabb, Kellerman, you're with me. O'Hara, go get those test results." Lassiter left quickly.

Juliet smiled at Shawn and Gus. "Nice work, you two," she said.

Shawn and Gus stood in the grass, letting out a breath.

"They just couldn't share one little porcelain figure," Gus said, shaking his head.

"Should've paid more attention in kindergarten," Shawn agreed.

"You know that's right."


	17. QuestionableRighteousStill

_Okay, so, I know this is unorthodox, and I apologize profusely, but I just got so darn behind, and there's no way I'm going to get caught up unless I do this, so I'm combining QRS. The words are Questionable, Righteous, and Still. I think you'll like this one, though, so hopefully I can be forgiven. Also, the Yin/Yang episode? Wow. I thought it was fabulous until they completely rushed the ending. Also, just pretend they get a really long Christmas vacation in order for this to work..._

_December 16th, 1985_  
_  
_ Shawn crept through the Gusters' house, having gotten the OK from Gus's parents to go through and wake him up. Shawn was actually very surprised that they'd been awake, let alone agreed to allow him into their home so early. He'd sort of been planning to just climb up to where Gus's window was and tap on it until the boy woke up.

But this was probably a better way.

Quietly, Shawn poked Gus's shoulder and watched his friend's eyes flutter open. He took a moment and observed Shawn blearily. "Morning, Shawn," he mumbled. His eyes closed again, then he sat bolt upright.

"Shawn? What're you doing in my house?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake himself up.

"I'm here to invite you to a special event," Shawn said. "Presented by yours truly."

"What time is it, Shawn?" Gus yawned and leaned against the wall.

"I think it's a little after six," Shawn replied.

"Six?" Gus groaned. "Why aren't you sleeping? We're on vacation."

"Because, Gus," Shawn explained patiently. "I had to get up early so I could put together the special event. So are you coming?"

"Sure, Shawn, I"ll come," Gus said appeasingly. "What time do I need to be at your house?"

"As soon as you're ready," Shawn said. "And no lollygagging, either. The lolly's don't appreciate it." Gus seemed to be too tired to laugh at anything, so Shawn just continued, "It's actually in the forest behind my house. So... Yeah, come there instead."

"Okay, I'll be there," Gus mumbled. Shawn nodded, satisfied, and left the house as quietly as he'd come.

It was a little longer than he would've hoped when Gus finally showed, but Shawn's optimism was still firmly intact. He led Gus through the trees quickly, then grinned as Gus looked around, surprised.

"You did all this by yourself?" Gus inquired.

"Yep." Shawn surveyed his work proudly. He'd hung paper snowflakes from as many of the tree branches as he could reach, as well as decorating the abandoned treehouse with draped white sheets. There were other touches here and there, making it look, to the best of Shawn's abilities, like a winter wonderland.

"This is awesome," Gus said, looking at his friend, impressed. They stood for one more second before both of them went over to the base of the ladder. Gus hadn't attempted to climb it since before the school year started, and the whole structure looked even more unstable than ever.

Shawn was already halfway up, and looked back down at his friend. "C'mon," he prompted. "I've been up here four times just this morning."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Gus inquired warily. "I don't really like the way that wood is creaking."

"I'm positive," Shawn said. "Don't be a worry wart, Gus, just come up!"

"If you say so," Gus said. He placed both hands on the ladder and ascended it slowly. He made it to the treehouse safely, and Shawn heard him breathe a sigh of relief.

"See?" Shawn said, smiling.

"Okay, okay, you were right," Gus agreed. He looked out the window at the "snowy" trees, then back to Shawn.

"Do you like it?" Shawn asked, his eyebrows drawing together.

"Yeah." Gus nodded, smiling. He and Shawn played with the toys they'd left in the small structure a few months previously, then ate some snacks Shawn had brought up. By the time they'd finished playing, it seemed to be pretty late in the day.

"We should get back," Gus said. "Our parents could start getting worried."

"Not mine," Shawn said, "my dad's at work all day." His mom, as usual, was away. So really, he could stay a lot longer and not worry anyone.

"Well, my parents wil be," Gus said, a very slight self-righteous note entering his tone. "Come on, let's go home."

Shawn sighed. "Okay."

Gus went down the ladder first this time, Shawn watching to see when he could start down. About two rungs down, just when he was out of Shawn's reach, the nails started to lose their place in the tree and Gus tried to grab another rung. Before he could, though, he was falling to the ground.

"Gus!" Shawn cried. His friend hit the earth with a thud. Shawn scrambled down the ladder and knelt down next to the silent boy.

"Gus!" Shawn repeated. "Talk to me, man!"

But Gus was still. Shawn began to panic, but remembered in the back of his mind that his dad had told him to always stay calm. He let out a breath and rolled Gus gently onto his back and listened. He was breathing, at least, but there was a smear of blood on his forehead. Tears started to squeeze themselves out of Shawn's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Gus," he said. "I should've picked somewhere safer." He wiped his eyes and sniffled. It seemed an eternity that he waited next to his friend, too afraid to leave him to get help. Finally, Gus let out a small moan and his eyes opened.

"Gus!" Shawn exclaimed, relief pouring through him. "Are you okay?"

"I-I think so," Gus said, one hand gingerly touching his head as he winced.

"Can you walk? Should we go back to my house?" Shawn spoke rapidly.

"Yeah." Gus let out a long breath. "That sounds good."

Shawn carefully helped Gus to his feet and they made their way to the Spencer residence. Shawn put Gus on the couch and gave him a wet washcloth, then called his dad. Luckily, the man had just been doing paperwork, and came quickly. He pronounced Gus to be lucky, with only a minor scrape to show for his fall, and forbade the boys from playing in the treehouse again.

_Gus is okay,_ Shawn repeated to himself. _Gus is okay_. And that was the only thing that mattered, really.


	18. Terrific

_December 19th, 2010_

Carlton Lassiter came into the station in a slightly better mood than he'd previously been, hoping that there would be an exciting case waiting for him to get him though the last stretch to Christmas.

Only a moment after he arrived, Chief Vick fulfilled that hope. He was handed a thick file and told to read it immediately.

"Lassie," Shawn said, coming over when he was about three quarters of the way through the pages.

"Spencer, what do you want?" Lassiter asked, not looking up from his file.

"Just wanted to say, it'll be interesting to see who can get to the bottom of this one first."

That got Carlton's attention. "What do you mean, first?" He demanded.

"Oh, Chief Vick didn't tell you?" Shawn asked innocently. "We're on the case, too."

Carlton looked up and saw Henry standing a little ways away, nodding at him.

Carlton pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes to blog out Shawn's grin. "That's just _terrific_."


	19. Underlying

_This one is a bit of a stretch with the word. But the first thing I thought when I read it was "bar." So... Yeah._

_December 20th, 2010_

Shawn and Gus started up the street quickly. "Are you sure this is a good plan?" Gus asked, glancing around to make sure nobody was trailing them.

"It's a great plan, Gus," Shawn said. "Because _Lassie_ wouldn't think of trying it."

"If you say so," Gus said, shrugging. He followed his friend through a door and his eyes widened slightly. They were in some sort of bar, and it didn't look like the sophisticated, meet-your-colleagues-for-lunch type of bar. Gus blinked and tried not to react, simply accompanying Shawn to the counter.

"I'd like two juice boxes, please," Shawn said, leaning against the wooden bar.

"Juice boxes?" The bartender looked confused.

"Do you have any club sodas?" Gus asked, shooting Shawn a look. Of course they weren't going to have juice boxes in a place like this. Seriously.

"Sure, coming right up," the woman said.

"What are we doing here, Shawn?" Gus asked in quiet voice. "Mark doesn't seem like the type of guy to frequent this place." The object of their case, a high profile conman, was named Mark Turner.

"Au contraire, Gus," Shawn said, smiling. "He was here not three days ago. Last time I saw him, a receipt for two beers here fell out of his pocket."

"Hm. That's actually pretty good." Gus was slightly surprised that Shawn had such a rock-solid reason for going somewhere this time. It was nice.

"Thank you, my lovely lady," Shawn said, grinning as he accepted his soda from the bartender. "Now, I need to ask you about somebody..."


	20. Victorious

_A/N: Because Lassie needs to win sometimes, too. ...Shawn may or may not have left him a tip somewhere. But don't tell him. I was trying to make this one exactly a hundred words to see what a drabble would be like. Wow, it didn't work._

December 22st, 2010

Carlton finally succeeded in getting a confession out of Turner-at least, for the crime they'd been after him for. And it felt pretty good. He'd been the one to track down and arrest the man, literally moments before Spencer had shown up._  
_ "Congratulations, Lassie," Shawn said from behind him. "You beat us fair and square. Good job."

"Thank you, Spencer," Carlton said, accepting the hand that Shawn offered and shaking it.

"You're very welcome," Shawn replied cheerfully.

"A good way to wrap up for Christmas," Gus added.

Carlton nodded. "My thoughts exactly. I'll see you two clowns sometime later, but right now I'm going to go out to lunch."

"Enjoy yourself, Lassie," Shawn called after him. "And don't eat too much salt!"

"Salt?" Gus asked curiously. "Why salt?"

"I don't know, it sounded like it made sense in my head."


	21. Whangdoodle

_December 23rd, 2010_

Shawn looked at Juliet pleadingly. "Do you have to go?"

"Yes, Shawn, I have to," Juliet said apologetically. "My cousin's very sensitive. If I don't go see her baby, she'll probably have some sort of breakdown."

Shawn sighed. "Okay. Promise you'll be back by Christmas?"

Juliet nodded. "Christmas morning, I'll be here."

"Alright." Shawn smiled at her, wishing he could kiss her goodbye. But, as they were currently standing in the middle of the crowded police station, it wouldn't work well.

Gus raised his eeyebrows. "But what if the baby's so cute you decide to stay the whole day?" He asked.

Shawn gave a slightly nervous laugh. "Gus, don't be the last of the really great Whangdoodles," he said. "That's not going to happen."

Gus and Juliet both looked at him blankly.

"C'mon, Whangdoodles." They were still silent. "Really? Neither of you read Julie Andrews' book?"

"'fraid not," Juliet apologized.

Shawn sighed. "Such a shame. A Whangdoodle is a mooselike creature who grows a new set of slippers on his feet every year. And he rules all of Whangdoodleland."

"Whangdoodleland?" Lassiter rolled his eyes at Shawn as he walked past. "What crap are you talking, Spencer?"

"It's a children's book, Lassie," Shawn called. "A beloved children's book."

"It's okay, Shawn," Jules said placatingly. "And don't worry, I'll be back on Christmas morning. No baby's cute enough to keep me away from you."

"That's so sweet of you, Jules," Shawn said, smiling. "I feel exactly the same way."

Juliet checked her watch. "Well, I guess I'd better go. It's kind of a long drive." She touched Shawn's shoulder and smiled. "See you on Christmas.

"See you, Jules," Shawn said. "Be safe."

The blonde detective left for her car, leaving Shawn and Gus standing in the station.

"For the record," Lassiter said on the way by, "I knew what the book was."


	22. X Marks the Spot

_A/N: Arg. I came so close to finishing on time, but I'm going to have to do 25 and 26 tomorrow, since my mother wants me to go to sleep... Sad day. Well, I've learned my lesson on not writing things ahead of time. Merry Christmas!_

December 24th

Gus watched as his best friend finished putting everything into place.

"You've really put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" He asked Shawn.

"Uh-huh," Shawn replied, nodding. "Everything has to be perfect."

"It _is_ perfect," Gus assured him. "The only thing that's missing is Juliet."

"And she'll be back tomorrow," Shawn said, seeming to attempt to reassure himself of this fact.

"Yes," Gus said, "she will."

Shawn looked down at the carpet of the Psych office where a small masking tape X was in place.

"Right there, Gus," he said, almost fervently. "That's where it's all going to go down."

"Yep." Gus nodded, following his gaze.

"What if something goes wrong?" Shawn asked, suddenly flighty.

"Nothing's going to go wrong," Gus said comfortingly. "You have everything planned to a T."

Shawn smiled, comforted. "I've never understood that expression," he said. "What does a T have to do with planning?"

"I have no idea," Gus said, shrugging. He checked his watch. "Well, we should get to my house if we want to see them before it's too late."

"Alright, buddy," Shawn said. "Let's go."

They walked out, Shawn casting one last glance at the marked spot. "Just a few more hours, Gus, then everything's going to come together."


	23. You

_December 25th_

Shawn waited anxiously near his iPhone, fiddling with a pen while he waited for Juliet to call him. Gus was sitting across from him, and tossed a crunched-up ball of paper at his head.

"Cool it," he said irritably. "Juliet will be here anytime now."

"What if she's not?" Shawn asked. He paced the floor, hands restlessly moving.

"She will be," Gus said. "And I swear, Shawn, if you don't stop pacing, I'm going to come tie you down."

Shawn sat down, giving Gus a pointed look.

"Thank you," Gus said.

Shawn let out an impatient breath, clicking the pen a few times. Finally, the phone rang and he picked it up instantly. "Jules!" He said, hiding his relief. "Yeah. Haha, I'm glad. Okay, listen, Gus and I are at the Psych office, and we really need you to see something. Yes, right now. Okay. See you soon."

He hung up the phone and looked at Gus. "You were right," he said, a little sheepishly. "Okay, okay, I have to make sure everything's ready..."

"Everything already _is_ ready," Gus said, rolling his eyes amusedly. "You've checked it all three times since I got here-which was, by the way, thirty-five minutes ago."

"You'll be home with your family soon enough, Gus," Shawn said. "But I wanted you to be here for this."

"Nobody else?" Gus asked curiously. "Not even your dad?"

"I'll tell him when we go over there later," Shawn said. "But no, it's just going to be you and me, Gus. And Jules, of course."

"Of course." Gus nodded. "Now, _stay sitting_ until she gets here."

"Yes, sir," Shawn said with a remarkably straight face. He leaned back in the office chair, staring at the ceiling. "You're sure you're alright with this? It could mean..."

"I know," Gus said. "This is more important."

Shawn smiled. "Thanks, buddy."

The two of them waited only a few more minutes, then Juliet came through the front door. Her Shawn looked through the glass and saw her eyes widen.

"Shawn?" She called. "Gus?"

"Shhh," Shawn said to Gus. Juliet took a step forward, her foot crunching on faux snow, as she touched one of the dozens of real pine trees Shawn had put throughout the Psych office. Christmas decorations were everywhere, with the snow, trees, and lights making it almost look like a forest scene.

"Hello-o," Juliet said, looking around wonderingly. When she reached the X on the floor, Shawn knew it was time. Grinning, he stood and gestured for Gus to follow. He did so quickly, and and they were both quickly standing next to Juliet.

"Merry Christmas, Jules," Shawn said. Juliet smiled, confusion showing in her eyes as she hugged him.

"Merry Christmas, Shawn," she replied. "Did-did you do all of this?"

"Of course not, Jules," Shawn said, "it was ol' Saint Nick."

"Riight," Juliet said, rolling her eyes amusedly. "What is it all for?"

"You," Shawn said simply.

"Me?" Juliet frowned slightly. "I don't understand."

"I love you, Jules," Shawn said. "I love you, and I don't want to have to try and hide that anymore. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, with Gus and Psych and microwave popcorn being up there too."

Juliet opened her mouth, but Shawn continued to speak, "And... I'd be willing to give up Psych if it meant you and I could really be together. So I guess what I'm asking is..."

Shawn knelt down and took her hand. "Juliet O'Hara, will you be my official girlfriend?"


	24. Zipline

_Still December 25th_

Juliet looked down at Shawn silently for a second, her hand tightly clasping his, then she pulled him to his feet.

"Yes," she said, a smile lighting her face. "Shawn Spencer, I will be your official girlfriend."

"You may now kiss," Gus said jokingly. They did so, however, and Juliet smiled into the kiss.

A strange analogy popped into her head: Her relationship with Shawn was like a zipline. A little uncertain at first, testing to make sure the other was safe, then enjoying each others' friendship quite happily. Things picked up speed and excitement as time went on, only in this zipline, instead of the ride ending at the bottom, it just got better. And that was where she was now.

They broke apart and Shawn grinned. "I love you, Juliet," he said, more fiercely than the first time.

"I love you too, Shawn," she replied, kissing him again.

Gus rolled his eyes. "Do you really have to do that now?"

Again, they ended the kiss. This time, Juliet pulled Gus over into an impromptu group hug.

"Merry Christmas."


End file.
